BMJ  2006;332 (1 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7544.0

What predisposes women to chronic pelvic pain?

Several gynaecological and psychosocial factors are strongly associated with chronic and recurrent pelvic pain. Latthe and colleagues carried out a comprehensive systematic review (p 749) of 122 studies evaluating over 60 risk factors for dysmenorrhoea, dyspareunia, and non-cyclical pelvic pain. They found strong associations between all types of chronic pelvic pain and pelvic pathology, history of abuse, and psychological morbidity. Randomised controlled trials of interventions targeting the potentially modifiable key factors are needed to assess their clinical relevance, say the authors.


Figure 1
 Credit: ROGER HARRIS/SPL

 


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